The country director of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) Dr. Magdy el Menshawy mutually signed with Dr. Tayseer al Reddawy the director of the Syrian State Planning Commission on behalf of the Syrian cabinet the master implementation agreement of the Program for Sustainable Urban Development udp, which is a joint undertaking conducted by the Syrian German Technical cooperation on behalf of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration and Environment (MLAE), the Governorate of Damascus and the City Council of Aleppo through the Syrian State Planning Commission (SPC).
The signature of this agreement comes as a further step of one and a half decades of cooperation in the urban sector between Syria and Germany. The program has the following general objective:
"Concerned ministries and selected municipalities manage urban development process in accordance with the principle of sustainability"
The Program for sustainable urban development includes the following projects:
•Project 1: Rehabilitation of the old city of Damascus in cooperation with Damascus governorate, the objective of this project is "The directorate of Damascus old city is effectively making representatives of the Old City's inhabitants and the private sector participate into the rehabilitation of the Old City.
•Project 2: Integrated urban development of Aleppo in cooperation with Aleppo city council, its objective is "Political decision makers and Municipality of Aleppo use instruments for strategic urban development".
•Project 3: National policy of urban development in cooperation with the MLAE
, its objective is" The political, juristic and institutional frame-conditions for urban development in Syria have improved."
•Project 4: Support structures for Urban management in cooperation with the MLAE, its objective is" Syrian cities make use of consultancy services and technical support delivered through formalized structures."